


The Earth Friends Pact

by starandrea



Category: Power Rangers in Space
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-11
Updated: 2020-01-11
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:16:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22205467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starandrea/pseuds/starandrea
Summary: Cassie shows Zhane that missing someone doesn't have to mean you're alone.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 21





	The Earth Friends Pact

Zhane looked as dejected as he’d been all day, and Cassie was tired of feeling sorry for him, so she sat down across from him and put her chin on her hand. “Hi,” she said.

He rolled his head to one side, like he’d been contemplating something particularly important on the ceiling and hadn’t noticed her until she spoke. “Hey,” he said. He even sounded sad when he said hello.

“Wow.” She couldn’t help it. “You sound miserable.”

Zhane shrugged and looked back at the ceiling.

She’d pretty much expected that after watching him mope around all day. “Can I sit with you?” she asked.

That made him turn his head to look at her again. “I guess,” he said, but he didn’t move otherwise.

“I mean on the couch,” Cassie said. “Can I lean on your shoulder and give you a hug? Because you look like you need one.”

He just looked at her, like that didn’t make any sense and he was waiting for the rest of the explanation.

“I mean, unless that’s one of those things you don't do on KO-35,” Cassie said. “No hugging? Sounds rough.”

It got a reluctant smile, and Zhane pushed himself up enough that he could swing his legs down and lean against the back of the couch instead of the side. “I'm supposed to stay away from Ashley,” he said, watching her get up and flop down beside him. “Just to warn you.”

“Yeah.” Cassie rolled her eyes. “Ash is pretty mad about that. Is it really okay if I lean on you? I don't want to make you uncomfortable or anything.”

“Oh, let me think,” Zhane said. “Is it okay if a nice, brave, beautiful girl wants to curl up on the couch with me because she thinks I look sad? No, that's a huge problem for me.”

“What about Andros?” Cassie asked, putting her arm under his and leaning her head on his shoulder.

“What about him?” Zhane countered.

“Are you together?” Cassie asked, tucking her legs up and resettling herself against him. “Like, romantically? Is this okay?” she added, lacing her fingers through his.

“Yeah,” he said, lifting their joined hands and kissing her fingers before letting them fall. “And yeah, it's fine. What about you?”

“I fell for someone who doesn't know I exist,” she said, closing her eyes and breathing in the warm smell of his shirt. “He doesn't care.”

“I meant Andros,” Zhane said, but his tone sounded careful. “You might not want to get in the middle of this.”

She shook her head, letting her cheek rock back and forth against his shoulder. “If you want me to go I will,” she said. “But Ash is mad at Andros, so I have to be mad at him too.”

“Oh, is that how it works?” He sounded amused for the first time, and she smiled as she lifted her head to rest her chin on his shoulder.

“Yes,” she said, but quietly because her face was right next to his.

He didn't look away. “Is that a girlfriend thing?” Zhane asked.

“It's an Earth friend thing,” she corrected. “We stick together. Even against Andros.”

“He's been kind of a jerk lately,” Zhane admitted. “He's not usually so mean. Or he wasn't when I knew him, anyway. I guess things change.”

“Everyone’s stressed out right now,” Cassie said. “It’ll get better.”

He didn’t smile, and she added, “Do you want a kiss? It’s totally fine if you don’t, I just thought. You know. You kissed my fingers. And you’re very cuddly.”

He just kept staring at her, and she wanted to tell him that he had no expression when he was confused. It must be useful. But she’d probably said enough already, so she just let him think.

“Yeah,” he said at last. “Kissing is good.”

She tipped her head forward and rested her forehead against his. “You’re really nice,” she told him. “I’m sorry everything’s different now.”

His voice sounded funny when he said, “Thanks,” so she kissed him gently and then touched his mouth with her fingers. She stroked her thumb over his jaw and brushed her other hand against his hair.

“We’re glad you’re here,” she murmured. “I’m glad you survived.”

She could hear him swallow, felt it in the motion of his throat, and she kissed him again. It was just a soft press of lips, but his breath was shaky on the exhale. She thought he was trying not to cry. When she pulled back enough to see his face, he'd closed his eyes, and she stroked her fingers over his temple and his too-short hair.

“Did you cut this yourself?” she whispered. “It’s cute.”

This time he made a sound that was almost a laugh, even if his eyelashes were wet when he opened his eyes and smiled back at her. “It’s terrible, isn’t it. Andros used to do it for me.”

“I like it,” she said with a smile.

“I like yours better,” he said, and she shook her head so her hair fell in her face. He lifted a hand slowly, like he wasn’t sure it was okay, and pushed it back on just one side. “I like it,” he repeated.

“Thanks.” She watched his eyes trace the way her hair fell, and she wondered if he was comparing it to someone else’s. She waited. He didn’t catch her eye again, looking away and letting his hand fall, so she didn’t move.

“Thank you,” Zhane said after a moment.

“More hugs?” Cassie offered. “Kiss? Joke? I know one about a racing snail.”

She watched Zhane smile even before he lifted his eyes to her again. “Yeah,” he said, and he sounded a little less shaky now. “All of the above.”

“Well,” she said, kissing him carefully and then getting distracted when he ran his fingers along the side of her face. When he paused, she turned her head enough to kiss his palm. “The snail joke might not make much sense. Now that I think about it.”

He let his thumb rest against her chin, so she held still while he leaned in to kiss her forehead. “It’s already funnier than anything I’ve heard today,” he told her.

“Okay,” she said, breath catching in a laugh. “You really have had a terrible day.”

“Nah.” He put a hand on the back of her shoulder, and she leaned in so she could wrap her arms around him and hug him back hard. She could hear the smile in his voice as he stroked his hand down her back. “It’s getting better.”

It was nice to be held. Just to feel someone breathing against her was warm and reassuring, and she didn’t try to sit up again right away. She felt him kiss the top of her head. He pressed gentle circles into the space between her shoulders, and she rubbed her fingers against the wrinkles of his shirt in return.

She wasn’t sure how long it had been when she heard footsteps. She heard Zhane whisper, “Your friends are coming,” but he didn’t move so she didn’t either.

“Our friends,” she corrected.

There was a quiet knock from the doorway, and Ashley’s voice called softly, “Hey. Anyone awake in here?”

“Oh, hey,” Zhane muttered. “We could pretend to be asleep.”

Cassie was tempted to roll over into his lap and throw her arm over her face, but he deserved more of a warning than that. She should really ask first. Just being allowed to kiss didn’t mean she could drape herself all over him without a word.

“If I’m sleeping,” she said, pushing herself up reluctantly, “I better find a more comfortable position.”

“Are you calling me uncomfortable?” Zhane wanted to know.

“Okay,” Ashley said with a laugh. “We’re coming in.”

“If you want,” Cassie said, stretching her legs out next to his and leaning back against his arm, “you can lie on me and we’ll compare notes.”

“Give me back my arm and you’re on,” Zhane replied.

So she let him pull his arm free, and then Ashley was pointing to the space on her other side and asking if it was taken. TJ and Carlos were right behind her, but Zhane was putting his feet back on the couch so he could lie with his head in her lap. There was barely room for both of them even before Ashley pulled the end cushion free and squeezed into its place.

“Hey,” Zhane said, tipping his head back so he could see Ashley but otherwise not helping in any way. “I heard you have an Earth friends pact to all be mad at Andros whenever one of you is.”

“An Earth friends pact?” Carlos repeated. “Is that what we call it?”

“Yeah, that’s totally true,” Ashley said. “That’s why TJ’s here instead of working on the Bridge.”

“Oh, I think you overestimate how much I like working on the Bridge,” TJ said with a grin.

“Did you think I made that up?” Cassie asked, letting her fingers trail through Zhane’s hair again. “I’m so much more creative than that.”

“That’s also true,” Ashley said, wedging herself further back into the corner beside them.

“Doubt everything she says,” Carlos advised, leaning back in his chair and propping his legs up on the other end of the couch. “Unless she’s talking to one of us.”

“Directly to one of us,” TJ added.

“And by us they mean all of us,” Cassie said, patting Zhane’s chest. “Including you. And Andros, when we’re not mad at him.”

“Probably even when we are mad at him,” Ashley said, resting her head against Cassie’s for a moment. “Right? I mean, the Earth friends pact is about sticking together, but we’re still a team.”

“Right,” Cassie agreed.

“When we’re together?” TJ said, stretching out over the other chair. “We can do anything.”

“Including be sad,” Cassie told Zhane.

“Or mad,” Ashley added. “I’ll get over it.” There was a pause before she added, “When he does,” and then, “Probably.”

Cassie saw Zhane smile a little.

“You know, I think we need another couch,” Carlos said. When they all looked at him, he just shrugged. “What? Look around. Where’s Andros going to sit when we get done being mad at him?”

“Did I take his place?” Zhane asked, putting his feet up on the arm of the couch next to Carlos’. “You set this up for five people, right?”

“That hugely overstates the amount of thought we put into it,” Ashley said. “Four people fit, so we stopped adding furniture. Andros doesn’t hang out with us anyway, but if you’re going to maybe he will too.”

“Don’t count on it,” Zhane muttered.

Cassie reached for his hand and squeezed it. She had to lean away from Ashley to do it, but Ashley just patted her shoulder and got more comfortable. Zhane lifted his head a little so Cassie could shift closer.

“You don’t stop loving someone just because they’re gone,” Cassie told him. “He didn’t stop loving you. He just has a hard time adjusting to things.”

She saw TJ and Carlos exchange glances, but no one said anything.

“Did you?” Zhane asked. He looked up at her, resting their joined hands on his stomach, and she knew what he was asking.

“No,” she said. “Of course not. I wouldn’t be so angry about it if I didn’t care.”

She heard Ashley sigh. “Do you think that’s why Andros is being so annoying?”

Cassie looked up in time to see Carlos roll his eyes, and TJ grinned when he looked at her. “Yes,” they said at the same time. Even Carlos, who had been careful not to say anything rude about Andros where Ashley could hear for days.

“Oh,” Ashley said. She sounded genuinely surprised.

“Yeah,” Cassie said, squeezing Zhane’s hand pointedly. “Oh.”

He squeezed her fingers in return, but he didn’t say anything. He didn’t leave, either, and that was the most important thing. They could figure the rest out together.


End file.
